Seabrook nuke plant back online after shutdown

SEABROOK — Seabrook Station nuclear power plant is once again fully online after a planned shutdown began slightly ahead of schedule last month due to an electrical problem.

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By Kyle Stucker

seacoastonline.com

By Kyle Stucker

Posted May. 9, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Kyle Stucker
Posted May. 9, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

SEABROOK — Seabrook Station nuclear power plant is once again fully online after a planned shutdown began slightly ahead of schedule last month due to an electrical problem.

The plant was in the process of shutting down the reactor April 1 as part of a refueling outage when an unknown electrical issue forced coolant pumps to shut off prematurely with the reactor at 15 percent power.

The exact cause of the electrical issue, which didn't cause any structural problems or radioactive releases, wasn't available Thursday. The problem was reportedly addressed during the shutdown, though, and all of Seabrook Station's systems "checked out fine" when the plant was brought back online, said Al Griffith, a spokesman for the plant.

Griffith said he couldn't say Monday, the day he announced Seabrook Station was back online, whether a root cause analysis team would evaluate the issue. If so, Griffith said that process "sometimes takes months" before an official finding is available.

The electrical issue accelerated last month's refueling outage by roughly an hour. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said it would oversee the plant's assessment of the problem and work with the plant to develop corrective action.

Refueling outages typically occur every 18 months to two years, and the last refueling outage at Seabrook Station occurred in 2012. The station, which is now in its 17th operating cycle, had been running for a station-record 518 days before the outage implementation began.

Griffith said the roughly monthlong outage required 1,000 additional staff members on site before and after the plant was shut down.

He said this infusion of people brought in an estimated $4 million in additional revenue to area hotels, restaurants, rental properties and businesses, based on what he said were standard industry figures.